It's very hard to put a list together when a lot of the players have never been seen by anyone alive.

I have no idea how good Joe Oliver was, but the fact that he is our top points scorer (and perhaps always will be), and will forever be immortalised by Old Faithful means he probably has to be included somewhere.

What about the first Australian to score a try against Gt Britain who stayed in England to play for Hull and became their first player to score 100 tries? Also won a Challenge Cup final with them. Played in the centre so maybe would find it difficult to be included .

His name was Jim Devereux and he had a long career with Hull starting in the late 1900's and finishing in the mid-20's.

I think we should be able to trust other people's opinions, as obviously the fan base on this forum covers many eras.

For instance, take the Full Back position. Some younger fans on here may say that Prekkie was the best Full Back that we have had, based upon who they have seen play over the past 10-15 years. I was lucky to see all of Gary Kemble's career and can honestly say that while Prekkie was a great player for us, Kemble was awesome and another level as a player. However, I never saw Arther Keegan, therefore if someone (or someone they knew) came on here who saw both Keeagn and Kemble and said Keegan was better, then I would trust that view.

I made the comment earlier about Bruce Ryan. I have had three different people who saw him play, tell me that he was the greatest player that they had seen play for Hull and as they watched Hull for 60+ years, then piecing a team together becomes easier.

I saw both keegan and kemble play ,both very different so hard to say who was best.Keegan without doubt was the best tackler i have ever seen ,kemble was great coming of his own line and his craft and speed were his strengths but who is better.... a draw

Nice article about jim devereaux on wiki.

I have a good friend who sits with me in the East Stand who has been supporting FC for over 75 years.He is a sprightly 82 and still is as passionate about fc today as he was when he started,he tells me.
He has seen so many great players that have worn the black and white shirt but when ever wingers crops up in conversation the one name that always comes out first is Bruce Ryan.So I reckon I will go with him for one of the wingers.
Incidentally, the guy keeps records on a season to season basis on FC that go back donkeys years.So if any one is struggling for any info that maybe you cant find on google,let me know he might be able to help.
Happy New Year to one and all.

As a previous poster said, the rules of the game have changed so much that comparing across eras is very difficult.

I remember the shock of the 10 yard rule in 83-84 - suddenly a few of our good players looked quite poor, and that was just one of the changes in 150 years.

When looking at very old matches (50's and 60's) you see players with less respect for possession, flinging out more wild passes etc because they had a good hooker that could win scrums. They probably would struggle with the more conservative (dare I say Aussie ?) style of rugby nowadays.

Still, it makes for a good discussion as a good player could easily adapt their style and wouldn't be any less of an athlete.

hooker is probably the classic case of the role that has changed, when scrums became less competitive the hooker became more of a pivot rather than a dependable ball winner skilled in the dark arts of the scrum. in my time watching the game, the role of the loose forward has changed a fair bit too

I have only been watching since the mid 90's, but generally I consider my knowledge of past players and the clubs history to be pretty good. However I can honestly say I didn't know anything at all about Bruce Ryan until this thread. I've seen the name a few times in books etc. but I couldn't have told you a thing about him. So it's interesting that lots of people rate him so highly.

BBC Sport website has a piece about the 150 year celebrations on it at the moment. interestingly the banner picture features 13 hull greats. is this the club's all time greatest 13? if so the challenge is on

just had a bit more of a look at the bbc article and its not a '13' as there are no props pictured. some food for thought concerning the players in the picture though

Looking at Billy Batten brings the question as to whether he is the only Hull FC player ever to feature on an official postage stamp.

Craig Fitzgibbon was on a stamp for the Roosters to celebrate the Centenary of Rugby League in Australia.

Will be a long time before they get round to issuing another set of rugby league stamps, with only a slim chance if them putting a Hull FC player on one of them.

Left you a PM mate - welcome back

Cheers! Remember now that he was on one of a set of 16 representing each NRL team competing in 2008.

You must have missed Wilf's Dentist Diary No 336 where Bruce Ryan was featured with reference to Wilf's Mum! Covers his time at the club superbly and I was one of the 4000 at Paragon Station on the day he arrived,

I too know very little about Bruce Ryan.

Found some info on him from Wiki & another site for those interested:

"Bruce Ryan was a champion school-boy sprinter, before being graded at the Newtown Jets in 1940. He went on to play six seasons for Newtown but his career was often interrupted by World War II, of which he was a member of the Australian Army and later the RAAF. His time at the club included being in the squad that won the 1943 Grand Final. He also played in the team that were defeated in the 1944 Grand Final. After retiring from Newtown at the end of the 1947 season, he traveled to England to join Leeds for the 1947–1948 season, before retiring from football. He later joined the coaching staff of the North Sydney Bears in 1956."

"Ryan played for Hull from 1947 to 1950. Scored 60 tries in 84 matches. Transferred to Leeds in 1950 for a then record £4,750 and scored 42 tries in 57 matches over two seasons. (06/01/2012)"

Not very well written Wiki piece - did he join Leeds in 1947 or us in 1947? He seems to have retired after joining Leeds but played for us and them again afterwards

Either way 102 tries in 141 games is pretty spectacular.

Playing Career. 1941- 1947 Newtown Jets.
1947- 1950 Hull FC.
1950- 1952 Leeds. Then he retired aged 31.

Leeds 1947- 48 statistic is incorrect.

Thanks for reminding me for anyone who is interested here is what I gleaned about an iconic individual who is still one of the first players to be mentioned when folks who watched the Clubs in the 40's talk of the post war years.

".....this week, before returning to more normal features, I want to honour my old Mum who passed away back in 1979. When other kids were hearing Grimm’s fairy tales and the adventures of Noddy at bedtime, it’s pretty likely young Wilf was receiving my nightly repeat of Mums exploits, as she followed her beloved Hull FC in the post war era. If one name came to the fore then it would probably have been that of Bruce Ryan, who played just before I was born with his 84 games spanning the three seasons between 1947 and 1950.

My research this week in old copies of the Hull Daily Mail at the History Centre in Hull painted a picture of a total athlete who was an Australian sprint Champion, and who as a Rugby League player complimented that amazing pace with a body swerve that was famous throughout the game. His dark hair and film star looks obviously made him a big hit with the lady supporters of the day (including my Mum), and in a post war era of austerity he was just the hero that the community was looking for. He was along with hooker George Watt, Duncan Jackson and Ces Fifield, one of several Australians that the Club brought in just after the war to spice up the appeal of the game at the Boulevard, Bruce cost £1750 and is remembered by everyone who saw him play.

Reading Sportman’s Say in the Green Sports Mail, the letters column back then, it quickly became apparent to me that although a great hero his dislike of training and love of a full social life and the local ladies, saw Bruce probably never reach his full potential. At 5ft 10 inches and weighing just 13 stone he was certainly a big hit and that after shunning the opportunity to represent Australia at sprinting, having been picked for the 1940 Olympics which were cancelled due to the war. In fact, he held the Australian record for the 100 and 200 yards that same year. His reputation certainly went before him and a crowd of over 4000 stood twenty deep at the barriers and right across the concourse of Paragon Station to greet him when he arrived in Hull. It was the start of a three year love affair between the fans and Bruce Ryan and the fans weren’t to be disappointed.

Bruce scored a walk in effort in his first match, the opening game of the 1947 season, when Hull beat Castleford 27-15 but his famous double swerve came to the fore as he scored the only try in the next game at Dewsbury, and from then on he was a hero. Better was to come with Ryan’s try against the New Zealand Tourists a few weeks later having the whole City talking. The Sports Mail that night displayed the Headline ‘Ryan the Express’ after the winger had run 80 yards and swerved in and out through 7 defenders to score in the corner at the Best Stand/Gordon Street end, in what was then forever to be known as Ryan’s Corner. It was one of the best tries ever seen at the Boulevard. That first season Bruce scored 24 tries in 26 appearances and the press had a field day, so much so that the editor of the Hull Daily Mail revealed a few months later that he had received a request from Ryan to ‘tone it down a bit’. But everyone likes a hero!! He was without doubt our number one strike player and it’s said that Coach Eddie Caswell always finished his team talks with, ‘Get it to Ryan!’.

Off the field Bruce was a sharp dresser and fashion icon of the times, working as he did at Hector Powe the Tailors in Hull City Centre. My father-in-law tells a great story of how he would be training for Cottingham on a Sunday when Bruce, surrounded by a bevy his admirers, would turn up to watch from the touchline. Apparently despite wearing a 3 piece Savile Row suit and starched white shirt he would soon have his jacket off and be out on the pitch catching the muddy ball and coaching the Cottingham lads. He was without doubt a real celebrity and a blooming good player, who scored 60 tries in just 84 appearances for Hull FC.

Despite this, sadly, as is often the case with talented wingers, Ryan consistently seemed to be starved of quality ball and in 1949 the Club signed Roy Francis a pacey centre who they hoped would improve the service to Bruce, however the pair only played one game together. Ryan was injured in that game and by the time he had recovered he had been transferred to Leeds. Although at first they put up with his antics off the field, it seems the play boy image and Bruce’s dislike of training finally got to the Board. The writing was already on the wall a few weeks earlier when he was suspended for two games after missing the train to a game at Wigan.

However it is for his try scoring exploits that he’ll be remembered and my Mums stories of him haring down the Threepenny Stand side of the ground, holding the ball in one hand above his head, while he swerved round ‘would be’ tacklers, still paints a vivid picture in my imagination. I never saw him play, but mother’s recollections passed on to me as child were the next best thing! So, you see we have always been plagued with players who thought they were celebrities, the difference here being that in Bruce’s case, there is little doubt that he was one. Those who saw him play were indeed privileged and it’s a pity that the sanitised state of the modern game seems to deem that these sorts of personalities and stars are no more....mores I thinks, the pity!"

i do`nt remember bruce ryan,but i do remember duncan jackson.he was the swimming instructer at madely street baths ,when i went to constable street school.

The line " in a post war period of austerity he was just the hero that the community was looking for" is so true. After the pounding Hull took during the war the emergence of sporting icons for the Hull public was good therapy after those dark years. Ryan was the first and Raich Carter followed for Hull City giving the whole city a lift.

After Ryan left and Carter rode off into the sunset in the early fifties, another personality emerged and played very briefly with Ryan. He went on to coach FC in a golden era starting in the mid-fifties. His name was Roy Francis and if we are to name a coach for the 150 years greatest team he is an obvious candidate.

Briefly back to Hull City. Next season will see them start their Centenary year of competition in the Football League.

yes we will be doing a coach of the 150 years - should be some intersting nominations

Was anything similar to this done to mark 100 years in 1965, does anybody recall? Obviously not on the internet, but you know what I mean!

Would be useful to inform this and interesting in its own right.

In Rovers' recent greatest team vote, the 'oldest' player included was 'Flash' Flanaghan iirc. Batten is an interesting one - a must include as a Hall of Famer and legend of the early professional era who played much of his career with Hull on the one hand, but as mentioned nobody voting ever saw him play. Also Hull had great success in the 1950s (when Rovers were struggling, so wouldn't likely have many in their greatest team anyway) and that must be getting towards the edge of living memory now, especially in terms of internet users.

Great thread. So many interesting stories coming to light